Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said that corruption allegations made against government officials and members of Congress are part of a “coup strategy.”
During a speech, Petro said that admittedly corrupt former officials were being used to falsely implicate others in government and Congress in a scandal that erupted over the embezzlement of disaster management funds.
They are using the corrupt people to stop the political reforms that benefit the people in Congress… They are using the corrupt people that we ourselves took out, who we did not allow to take public money out of the country.
President Gustavo Petro
Over the weekend, the former director of disaster relief agency UNGRD, Olmedo Lopez, accused Petro’s former chief of staff, Carlos Ramon Gonzalez, of being implicated in the embezzlement of funds meant for disaster relief in the northern La Guajira province.
Lopez’ successor, Sneyder Pinilla, additionally claimed that embezzled disaster relief funds were used to bribe the presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives with the help of the president’s regional development adviser.
Colombia’s government and congress rocked by embezzlement scandal
Lopez’ defense attorney later admitted that his client had no evidence to sustain his accusations.
President’s regional development chief, Sandra Ortiz, and the lawmakers denied having received money to push the government’s reform proposals through Congress.
According to Petro, Lopez and Pinilla are implicating others in their corruption practices to get a plea deal with the Prosecutor General’s Office.
They additionally would additionally be trying to intimidate members of Congress in an attempt to sink the government’s proposals to reform pensions, the healthcare system and labor.
The president on multiple occasions has accused the far-right of trying to sabotage and even oust his government from power through lawfare and fictitious criminal allegations.
In August of 2022, Petro became Colombia’s first leftist president in history.